Loss Lab
Global Change Ecology & Management
Scott R. Loss
Associate Professor
Dept. of Natural Resource Ecology & Management
Oklahoma State University
People
Scott Loss
Educational/Professional Background
Postdoctoral Research Fellow - Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park (2011-2013)
PhD - University of Minnesota; Conservation Biology (2011)
MS - University of Illinois; Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences (2007)
BS - University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point; Wildlife Ecology and Management; Biology (2004)
Originally from Waukesha, Wisconsin, I like to spend my free time playing with my daughter, birding (both for fun and only somewhat competitively), traveling, hiking, bicycling, and canoeing/kayaking.
Scott on Google Scholar
Dr. Samantha McGarrigle (Postdoctoral Fellow)
Samantha is a Postdoctoral Fellow funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In collaboration with USDA, USGS, and U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Lab, Samantha is using big data to study effects of wind energy and USDA's Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) on birds, including potential interactive effects of wind and CRP. Her research will be used in an interdisciplinary analysis of ecological & economic outcomes of wind and CRP, and in models forecasting wind development scenarios in the U.S. Samantha is co-advised by Scott and Dr. Courtney Duchardt (University of Arizona).
Samantha is from Hampden, Maine and received her BS in Marine Biology with a minor in Ecology from Unity College and PhD from the University of New Brunswick, where her research focused on the effects of water column and sediment carbonate chemistry on infaunal invertebrates in the intertidal of New Brunswick. Samantha's research interests include avian ecology, community ecology, and global change ecology. In her free time, Samantha enjoys baking, photography, video games, and reading/collecting books.
Dr. Mark Nessel (Postdoctoral Fellow)
Mark is a Postdoctoral Fellow funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service (and specifically, through the Conservation Effects Assessment Project, CEAP). Mark is leading a meta-analysis and scoping review of the effects of USDA's Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) on wildlife. His research results may also be incorprated into an interdisciplinary analysis of ecological & economic outcomes of CRP led by researchers in USDA's Economic Research Services. Mark is co-advised by Scott and Dr. Courtney Duchardt (University of Arizona).
Mark is based out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, his hometown. He received his BS from Drexel University and PhD from Rutgers University, Camden. His research interests include community ecology, ecological stoichiometry and agroecology. He is focused on understanding impacts of human activity on ecosystems in order to uncover real-world solutions. Besides research, Mark is a fan of movies, gardening, craft beer, and spending time with family and friends.
Dr. Maria Belotti (Postdoctoral Fellow)
Maria is a Postdoctoral Fellow funded through the USGS South-central Climate Adaptation Science Center and working on a project that aims to understand if and how migratory waterbirds may be changing their use of networks of wetland habitat in the Great Plains to adapt to a changing climate. Research for this project will be co-produced with stakeholders (NGOs, wetland managers, private landowners) to provide output that directly informs wetland management in the Great Plains. Maria is co-advised by Scott and Craig Davis (also in OSU).
Maria grew up in São Paulo, Brazil, where she received her BS in Veterinary Medicine. She did her master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of São Paulo, where she worked with collective behavior and self-organization. Maria received her Ph.D. from Colorado State University, in which she leveraged the broad spatial coverage and temporal resolution of weather radar data to understand how the communal roosting behavior of swallows and martins has changed in the past two decades. She enjoys watching soccer, assembling jigsaw puzzles, and reading in her free time.
Matthew Broadway (PhD student)
Matt is leading a study funded by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation with the goals of developing a protocol to monitor populations of Eastern Whip-poor-will and other nightjars in Oklahoma, and using the protocol to evaluate nightjar habitat associations in the state. Matt is also working on other research aspects related to nightjar ecology, including collaborative studies with other research groups currently investigating this charismatic and elusive species group. Matt's project is being co-advised by Scott along with Dr. Tim O'Connell (also in OSU NREM) and Dr. Rob Lonsinger (in the USGS Oklahoma Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit).
Matt received his BS degree from Auburn University and MS degree from the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point. In his free time, he can be found camping, working out, renovating his vintage airstream, or hunting with his Red Setter.
Holly Todaro (PhD student)
Holly is OSU's current Dr. Fritz L. Knopf PhD Fellow. Her research spans several topics under the broad umbrella of grassland bird conservation, including a study of the factors affecting Loggerhead Shrike occupancy in Wyoming, a meta-analysis of the effects of climate change on avian reproduction, and a study using bird collision data from Oklahoma, Minnesota, and Texas, to evaluate the potential use of the NEXRAD weather radar network to predict and reduce bird collisions. Holly's project is being co-advised by Scott and Dr. Courtney Duchardt (University of Arizona).
Holly grew up in Port Huron, Michigan and received her BS from Central Michigan University, and her MS from Mississippi State University. Her general research interests include species-habitat interactions, investigating links between landscapes and spatial patterns using animal movement and/or distribution, and conservation. In her free time, Holly enjoys being outside, thrifting, cooking, and spending time with family and friends.
Dylan Cooper (PhD student)
Dylan is leading a study funded by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation with the goals of developing a monitoring protocol for Loggerhead Shrikes in Oklahoma, and evaluating habitat associations of shrikes in breeding and non-breeding seasons. He also hopes to expand this study by connecting shrike occupancy to prey community composition and occurrence of the ecologically similar American Kestrel. Due to his interest in citizen science, Dylan may also develop a curriculum to engage the public in Loggerhead Shrike monitoring, conservation and research. Dylan’s project is co-advised by Dr. Tim O’Connell (also in NREM) and Dr. Courtney Duchardt (Univ. of Arizona) as well as by Scott.
Dylan grew up in Phoenix, Arizona. He received a BS in Biological Sciences from Arizona State University and a MS in Biology from Univ. of Nebraska–Kearney. Dylan previously studied feeding habits of Barn Owls and range expansion of Broad-billed Hummingbird. His research interests include avian ecology and urban evolution. In his free time, Dylan enjoys gaming, playing with his dogs, and outdoor activities like birding, hiking, SCUBA diving, and skiing.
Riley Lawson (Master's Student)
Riley is leading our study evaluating the effectiveness of window marker treatments in reducing bird-window collisions. Following up on a remarkable OSU-funded initiative to install window markers on two buildings previously identified to cause large numbers of bird collisions (the Noble Research Center and the Gallagher-Iba arena), Riley is conducting a before-after control-impact study comparing post-treatment numbers of collisions to numbers of collisions observed in a pre-treatment study led by Dr. Corey Riding, Loss Lab PhD alumnus. Riley is also working with the USGS Bird Banding Lab to evaluate patterns of bird collision vulnerability based on bird band returns resulting from window collisions. He is being co-advised by Scott and Dr. Tim O'Connell (also in OSU NREM).
Riley is from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, and received his BS degree in Natural Resource Ecology & Management from OSU in 2020. He previously worked in the Loss Lab in his undergraduate years on several projects, including a study on coyote sensory ecology that resulted in a first-authored publication, as well as several literature reviews. His research interests include avian ecology, conservation biology, and spatial ecology. In his free time, Riley enjoys birding, hiking, and playing/watching soccer.
Maria Bleitz (Master's Student)
Maria is working on a study funded by the USGS South Central Climate Adaptation Science Center to evaluate how climate change affects wetland habitat for migrating shorebirds that stopover in the U.S. Great Plains. Part of this work involves analyzing movement and stopover habitat use data for GPS-tracked Willets, and Maria is also evaluating abundance and nutritional quality of invertebrates in two habitats that shorebirds differentially rely on during wet conditions (depressional wetlands) and severe droughts (both wetlands and shorelines of lakes). Maria is co-advised by Scott and Dr. Craig Davis (also in OSU NREM)
Maria grew up mainly in Saline, Michigan, but has been lucky to live in several places. She earned her BS in Biology from Calvin University in 2020. Some of her research interests include wetland management, the implications of human-caused climate change, and bird behavior. Maria enjoys reading, using iNaturalist, foraging, trying new recipes, traveling, and getting drinks and food with friends.
Jules Campbell (Master's Student/DVM degree)
Jules is a dual degree student at OSU's College of Veterinary Medicine and in NREM. Jules leads a study on how anthropogenic and environmental factors like extreme heat and storms affect intake of raptors into wildlife rehabilitation centers using Mississippi Kites as a model. This research will increase understanding of trends in wildlife rehab admissions with climate change, which will give help guide wildlife veterinarians in better treating raptor intakes. Jules is being co-advised by Scott, Dr. Tim O'Connell (also in NREM) and Dr. Joao Brandao (OSU College of Veterinary Medicine)
Jules received a BS degree in Small Animal Science from Delaware Valley University. She has always had a passion for wildlife and began her journey working in wildlife education for 3 years before pursuing her DVM. She is a board member for a local NJ non-profit, Lokai Rose, where she works towards the mission of educating the public on the importance of environmental conservation and respect for the natural world. Now as a veterinary student, Jules is working towards a career in conservation medicine. In her free time, Jules enjoys volunteering at the Stillwater Humane Society.
Natalie Becker (Master's Student)
Natalie is working on a study funded by the USGS South Central Climate Adaptation Science Center to evaluate how climate change is affecting wetland management and habitat for migrating waterbirds that stopover in the U.S. Great Plains. Natalie is finalizing her thesis research objectives, but they may include use of GPS tracking or other bird data (e.g., eBird) to evaluate waterbird habitat use under different precipitation conditions, a survey of wetland managers about climate adaptation approaches, and/or helping develop a decision support tool that helps guide wetland manager decisions under the increasing uncertainty of climate change. Natalie's project is co-advised by Scott and Dr. Craig Davis (also in OSU NREM)
Maria grew outside St. Louis, Missouri, and received her BS in Zoology from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Her interests include wildlife ecology and management, especially avian, wetland, and global change ecology. Natalie enjoys birding, hiking, gamin, and various arts and crafts in her free time.
Lab Alumni
Postdoctoral Fellows
Dr. Ellery Lassiter (Postdoctoral Fellow, 2023-2024)
Dr. Ellen Robertson (Postdoctoral Fellow, 2020-2023)
Dr. Dave Londe (Postdoctoral Fellow, 2021-2023)
Dr. Shishir Paudel (Postdoctoral fellow, 2014-2019)
Lucas Bobay (MS Student 2022-2024)
Jozlyn Propst (MS Student, 2022-2024)
Tucker Taylor (MS Student, 2022-2024)
Georgia Riggs (MS Student, 2019-2021)
Yevgeniya Malyutina (MS Student, 2019-2021)
Dr. Jared Elmore (PhD student, 2016-2020)
Sirena Lao (MS student, 2017-2019)
Matt Fullerton (MS Student, 2016-2019)
Dr. Corey Riding (PhD student, 2014-2019)
Megan Roselli (MS student, 2017-2019)
Dillon Fogarty (MS student, 2014-2016)
Maureen Thompson (MS student, 2014-2016)
Undergraduate Research Scholars
Alexis Skurnack (Undergraduate Researcher, 2021-2023)
Seraiah Coe (Undergraduate Researcher, 2018-2021)
Brooke Boughton (Undergraduate Researcher, 2021-2022)
Abby Hurt (Undergraduate Researcher, 2020-2021)
Riley Lawson (Undergraduate Researcher, 2016-2019)
Ashton Roberts (Undergraduate Researcher, 2016-2018)
Kali Roberson (Undergraduate Researcher, 2016-2017)
Chrissy Barton (Post-undergraduate Researcher; 2016)
Katie Schwartz (Undergraduate Researcher, 2016)
Lisa Elizondo (Undergraduate Researcher, 2014-2015)
Cala Hakseth (Research Technician, 2014)